


What Words Can't Express

by Domioushh



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-11
Updated: 2013-08-19
Packaged: 2017-12-23 03:50:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/921655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Domioushh/pseuds/Domioushh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>10 short(ish) fics each based on random songs from my music library. Mainly fluff... Contains both Sabriel and Destiel and T for mild language!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Baby I Don't Care - Buddy Holly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam's a square who doesn't know how to dance. Gabriel intends to fix it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You don't like crazy music, you don't like rockin' bands  
> You just want to go to a movie show, and sit their holdin' hands  
> You're so square, baby I don't care
> 
> I don't know why my heart blips,  
> I only know it does  
> I wonder why I love you baby, I guess it's just because  
> You're so square, baby I don't care
> 
> You don't know any dance steps, but I do-a-hoo-hoo  
> I only know why I love you like I do, a-do, a-do, a-do

"But Sammy!" Gabriel whined for what felt like the thousandth time.

"Gabriel, I've told you already: I'm just not a concert kind of guy!" Sam replied, trying in vain to concentrate on his book.

"Fine," Gabriel huffed. Sam let out a sigh of relief as he thought his lover had given up on nagging him, but no sooner had the archangel's mouth been shut then, "What is your idea of a perfect date?" Sam blushed.

"I don't know," he mumbled slightly, ducking his head. "I quite like going to the movies I guess." Gabriel's eyebrows shot up at this, making Sam's head lower further so that he was staring into his lap. "Honestly," he said, "I haven't been on all that many dates so I tend to stick with the traditional stuff. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Gabriel asked in mild disbelief. "What are you apologising for? So what if you'd rather sit in a movie theatre holding hands than go to a crazy-ass concert? I for one think it's rather adorable." At these words, Gabriel decided to toss Sam's book across the room, earning an outraged noise from the latter man's mouth. However, he was soon silenced as the archangel straddled his lap and delivered a chaste kiss. "You're so square, Sammy."

"Gee, thanks," Sam muttered.

"Hey, you may be a square lame-ass, but baby, I don't care." Gabriel said firmly, kissing Sam's nose. Sam grinned momentarily, half hugging his lover. "Still," Gabriel continued, "I would have thought that with that brother of yours that you'd be quite into rock 'n' roll..."

"Hey, I never said I disliked rock 'n' roll," Sam corrected quickly, "I just don't like concerts."

"What? Why?" Gabriel asked, cocking his head to one side in a questioning manner.

"I just never know what to do!" Sam said, sounding rather frustrated.

"Well you just dance, don't you?" Gabriel chuckled.

"But I don't know any dance steps..." Sam replied hesitantly.

"Wow, you really are a great big square," Gabriel clucked his tongue, earning one of Sam's infamous bitch-faces. "Don't worry, moose, I'll teach you!"

"Why does my brain automatically think that this is a bad idea?" Sam groaned as Gabriel hopped off his lap to pull the larger man up.

"Sammich, I am offended!" Gabriel said, opening his mouth in mock-shock and causing Sam to grin fondly. Gabriel then snapped his fingers, causing some music from the 1950s to start playing out of nowhere.

"Buddy Holly?" Sam asked incredulously.

"What's wrong with the late and great?" Gabriel pouted.

"Nothing, nothing," Sam said quickly, "But I think it's kinda unlikely that I'd ever get to see him in concert given that he died in the late '50s..." Gabriel simply shrugged.

"Details, details," he said hastily, flapping his hands about. "Now this dance is called the jive." Sam laughed out loud at that.

"I'm sorry but how many rock concerts do you reckon I'll be going to where the audience jive?"

"Look, Sasquatch, do you wanna learn some dance moves or not?" Gabriel put his hand on one hip. "And besides, Buddy Holly is rock 'n' roll!" Sam shrugged and smiled bemusedly.

"Take it away," he smirked. Gabriel returned the grin, moving forwards to grab Sam's right hand with his left, leaving them centimetres away.

"Now, all you've got to do is step back," Gabriel instructed, the playful glint in his amber eyes making itself known. Sam did as he was told. "Now step in and flatten your hand so that we're palm to palm," Sam did so. "Now place the palm of your other hand on my hip," Sam grinned.

"Does that make you the lady?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"Shut up," Gabriel winked. "Now, you've got to step forwards so that you step past me, spinning me clockwise. Then when I'm facing you again, take my hand." Sam nodded, his concentration face causing Gabriel to smile fondly.

Again Sam was able to do as Gabriel asked – if very slowly.

"Ha!" he exclaimed in triumph once he and Gabriel were holding hands facing each other again.

"Nice one, Sammy!" the archangel congratulated. "Now it's just the same again but on opposite sides."

Throughout the remainder of the song, Sam and Gabriel danced together, the spinning and stepping becoming increasingly quick to the point of the couple becoming rather dizzy. Gabriel revelled in the amount of careless laughter that came spilling from Sam's lips as the man looked more worry-free than he had looked in a long time.

Sam spun Gabriel one last time before the archangel tripped over his own feet and started falling. Sam's reflexes meant that Gabriel was caught in his lover's grip almost instantly, both men finding themselves rather breathless.

Suddenly the song changed to 'True Love Ways', a much slower, crooning Buddy Holly hit. At this, Sam blushed slightly and pushed Gabriel back onto his feet before scampering off to retrieve his book and return to his former position on the armchair.

"Really, Sammy?" Gabriel tutted, placing a hand on his hips as he pouted.

"What?" Sam asked, "Isn't that what you wanted? I know how to jive now!"

"So you're just going to leave me to dance this one out on my own?" Sam opened and closed his mouth several times as he failed to find an answer. Gabriel stood, holding out both hands to lure the taller man over. Sam himself dropped his book and made his way across the room until he was face to face with his archangel, gently taking both of the smaller man's hands in his own. They swayed like that for a few seconds before Gabriel chuckled softly.

"What?" Sam asked, blinking. Gabriel shook his head.

"You're so square," he said again, wrapping his arms round the back of Sam's neck and nestling his cheek against Sam's chest. Sam looked down, momentarily alarmed as he didn't quite know what to do with his own hands. "Just go with it, Sammy." Gabriel murmured, sensing the man's panic. Sam nodded and hesitantly wrapped his own arms round Gabriel's back, causing him to hum in delight. Sam then kissed the top of his honey-coloured hair before the smaller man looked up at him, grinning.

"I love you," Sam said softly, not sure as to what else he should say in such a tender moment. As in turned out, apparently it was the right thing to say as Gabriel pulled back slightly in Sam's arms so that he could lean up and kiss the man square on the lips.

"I love you too," he murmured as he pulled away, causing Sam's chest to swell.

"Even though I'm such a square?" Sam asked.

"Especially because you're a square."


	2. Lullabye - Billy Joel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam has a nightmare. Gabriel helps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodnight my angel, time to close your eyes  
> And save these questions for another day  
> I think I know what you've been asking me  
> I think you know what I've been trying to say  
> I promised I would never leave you  
> Then you should always know  
> Wherever you may go, no matter where you are  
> I never will be far away

Sam was running. His lungs were burning and his eyes were beginning to blur as he sprinted round the corner only to find a dead end. Reluctantly turning round, he knew it was time to face his fate. Lucifer stood before him, grinning manically and staring straight through Sam with his piercing gaze.

"Please," Sam whispered hoarsely. He knew it was pointless, but something in him still believed that every creature had to have even the smallest sliver of humility in them. Lucifer, apparently, did not as he started cackling at Sam's pathetic attempt to appeal to him. He stepped forwards, causing Sam to fall onto his knees, begging. Smiling still, Lucifer raised his arm, something sharp and silver in his fist. He brought down the arm without hesitation and Sam screamed.

* * *

And that's how he awoke, screaming and covered in sweat. He sat bolt upright, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to his dark surroundings.

"Dean?" he called out, not caring about how desperate he sounded. No answer. Since he had found out about Sam's strange hallucinations, Dean had been frequenting the local bars a lot more often and he apparently wasn't back yet. Not knowing what else to do, Sam turned to the only thing he _could_ do in situations as dire as the one he currently found himself in. He prayed.

With a brief flutter of wings, Gabriel materialised next to his bed, face full of concern.

"Sammy? What happened?" the archangel asked, drinking in the sight of his lover's tear-streaked, sweaty face.

"I had a –" Sam began, not exactly sure _what_ he had. "Lucifer – he –" Sam tried again, only this time his voice cracked as fresh tears he wasn't even aware of started to fall. Gabriel's mouth curled into a thin line as he vaguely understood what had happened. He snapped his fingers to turn the lamp by Sam's bedside on so that he could see what he was doing. Shedding his clothing until he was stood in a pair of boxers and an under-shirt, Gabriel sat behind Sam in the bed, deciding to soothe him with a massage.

"It's okay, Sammy. You're safe now. I'm here." Gabriel crooned as he rubbed circles into Sam's back, Sam himself still sniffling slightly. "You know, when I was younger and I couldn't sleep Michael would sing to me." Gabriel said matter-of-factly. Sam twisted his neck so that he could look at Gabriel's face to see whether or not he was being serious. Concluding that he was, Sam turned back round and relaxed slightly into the massage.

"I didn't know angels had lullabies," Sam said quietly, allowing his eyes to flutter closed as he felt increasingly calm thanks to Gabriel's presence.

"Oh yeah," Gabriel chuckled casually, "Every creature has lullabies. Even elephants."

"Elephants?" Sam asked, smiling at the image and the ludicrousness of the suggestion.

"Of course! Haven't you watched _Dumbo_?"

"I can't say I have actually," Sam replied.

"I'll add it to our 'to-do' list." Gabriel murmured, letting Sam lie back on his chest and leaning over to kiss the man.

"Spiderman," Sam smiled lazily, his eyes still closed.

"I beg your pardon?" Gabriel laughed.

"Spiderman kisses the girl upside-down," Sam said, still smiling. Gabriel laughed again. It was clear that the lack of sleep was perhaps getting to Sam.

"Here, let me sort you out." Gabriel suggested, altering their positions so that he was lying on his back with Sam curled into his side. "That way you can hear my heart beating and my lungs moving so you know I'm still here." Sam couldn't help but smile.

"You don't have to stay," he mumbled suddenly, though his body seemed quite reluctant to let Gabriel leave.

"Sammy, I've been on this planet for thousands of years. I doubt one night of watching over you is going to be too much to ask. Besides, it's not like I'm wasting time here, is it?" Gabriel hoped that Sam realised just what he'd been trying to say with his words. That he should know that Gabriel was planning on _always_ coming right to Sam's side whenever he needed him to. Or even just when he _wanted_ him to. Always. Sam looked upwards and into Gabriel's eyes which were incredibly sincere.

"I love you," Sam answered after a slight pause, nuzzling Gabriel's collar bone.

"I can't say I blame you," Gabriel joked, earning a light thump from Sam. "Ow!" he yelped in mock pain. "Now come on Sammich, you're tired. I can tell." Sam didn't reply but instead made a low groaning sound somewhere in his throat, indicating that sleeping was becoming increasingly difficult for him thanks to Gabriel''s brother.

The archangel frowned. He loved his brother with pure heart, but he also loved Sam. It was an issue he knew he'd have to discuss with Sam and/or Luci at some point, but for now it was best to save Sam's questions for another day and simply let him sleep.

For now, Gabriel cleared his throat as subtly as he could before quietly singing in enochian. Sam's eyes opened at the sudden noise but he soon found them closing again at the sweet and mellifluous melody that so easily fell from Gabriel's lips.

Once Gabriel had finished, Sam was in a deep slumber, a small smile playing at his lips. The archangel couldn't help but smile himself as he transferred a small amount of grace into his lover to keep Lucifer away as best he could, causing the area surrounding the two lovers to glow slightly.

* * *

At some point during the small hours of the morning, Dean managed to finally stumble into the motel room only to find his brother sleeping quite literally in the arms of an angel in a dark, cold motel room (not that he was a Sarah McLaughlin fan in the slightest). He held the bottle that he had been drinking from at arm's length, hoping that someone had perhaps drugged him and that the scene he was viewing viewing wasn't real.

"Sorry, Dean-o," Gabriel smiled grimly. "He called so I came." Dean stared at Gabriel for a few moments and then nodded, moving towards his bed but instead ending up with a face full of carpet after having tripped.

Gabriel snorted, feeling that this was the largest indicator of acceptance that Dean was ever really going to offer him. He was grateful for that of course as any conflict with Dean may compromise his relationship with Sam. And, Gabriel thought, looking at Sam, compromising anything with him wasn't worth it.


	3. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics have been placed in _italics where appropriate._  
> 

It was seven days until Valentine's Day and Gabriel was feeling particularly smug. When it came to romance and seduction, having been on the Earth for a vast number of years, he had a distinct advantage over most other people and Sam was no exception. Or so he thought.

The couple had agreed without hesitation to spend the 14th together, but Gabriel wanted to take it further. He hadn't seen Sam in weeks and was thus becoming rather frustrated, so he took it upon himself to plan a full seven days of romance for Sam in the run up to the holiday of love.

Gabriel smirked as he finished drawing up his plans, humming contentedly to himself. Sammy won't know what hit him.

_Day 1 – I could serenade and gently play on your heartstrings_

Shakespeare was certainly correct when he said that music was the food of love. Gabriel was yet to meet a human who didn't like music in some form and he knew for a fact that Sam loved his music just as much as the next person. He sat at the table with a notebook and pen, thinking of words that rhymed with Sam.

"Sam, bam, cam, dam... Oh! Dam's not that bad." the archangel said to himself, scribbling furiously as Sam was due back in just under an hour.

Sam arrived slightly later than expected, wishing for nothing more than a good lie-down as his and Dean's escapades had been particularly exhausting. What he didn't expect, however, was to enter a motel room with the lights dimmed and a stark-naked Gabriel holding a guitar and grinning in a positively filthy manner at his gobsmacked lover.

"Gabriel, I –" Sam began but was quickly cut off by an extremely-out-of-tune-C chord.

"Whoopsies!" Gabriel grinned, "Didn't tune the darn thing," he said, plucking each string in turn to hear just how out of tune they were and turning the tuning pegs accordingly.

"Gabriel, I really appreciate what you're –" Sam tried again, but was interrupted again by a little-bit-more-in-tune-C chord.

"Sam," Gabriel crooned, "You've built a dam... around my heart," Sam's eyebrows shot up as his mouth opened and closed several times. "You make my heart go bam; I'd like to see you on a cam...era!" Gabriel's awful song continued with the rhymes getting progressively worse and more tenuous. By the time he'd got down to singing about ham, Sam was in tears trying to bite back his laughter.

Gabriel soon finished up with an almighty wham and he looked up to register Sam's reaction. "Sammy, are you... crying?" Gabriel asked, heart all aflutter at the prospect of having touched Sam so deeply. It was at these words that Sam's laughter finally decided to escape as the man broke down, not being able to stop giggling for a good few minutes.

"Gabe, I've got to admit," Sam started, struggling to breathe as he wiped a tear from his eye, "you had me going for a second there. I thought that you were legit going to serenade me, but that... that was hilarious!"

Gabriel felt his heart drop as Sam burst into peals of new-found laughter, his face contorting into an expression of rage.

"It wasn't supposed to be funny, Sam," he growled, unable to prevent parts of his true voice from being projected in his speech. Sam was silenced immediately and risked looking up at Gabriel's face which, as expected, looked wounded and – more importantly – pissed.

"Gabe, I'm sorry – I didn't mean –" Sam began, but his efforts were futile. With a flutter of wings Gabriel disappeared, leaving Sam standing by himself. He sighed, now realising that Gabriel had put quite a bit of effort into trying to serenade him and that he'd have to make it up to him in quite a big way. "Crap."

_Day 2 – We could do the tango just for two_

As it turned out, he needn't have worried for Gabriel was back the next day for the next part of his Valentine's plan. He appeared out of nowhere again, holding out two tickets for something in Sam's face.

"Tango lessons," he said, looking smug. "So we can do the tango just for two." Sam didn't have the heart to tell him that he didn't want tango lessons after the previous day and so decided to go with it, forcing out a smile and a thank you.

Five minutes into the lesson and Sam wasn't having an entirely bad time - if he just ignored the vast amount of elderly people, several of which were hungrily eyeing up either himself or Gabriel. But once the actual dancing started, all Sam had to focus on was Gabriel. That was right up until he lost his footing and felt a burning sensation in his ankle, causing him to buckle over and all but howl in pain.

"Shit," he breathed as Gabriel grabbed him.

"You with me Sammy?" Gabriel breathed in his ear.

"My ankle," Sam gasped in pain.

"Let's get you out of here," Gabriel murmured, grabbing Sam and zapping him back to the motel room.

"Everyone just saw us disappear," Sam began but Gabriel silenced him immediately, helping him over to the bed where he lay down.

"Here," Gabriel said, lifting up Sam's leg slightly so that he could place his ankle on some cushions. He examined the injured area before nodding.

"What's wrong with it?" Sam asked, wincing as his ankle throbbed.

"Torn ligament," Gabriel said bitterly. Sam took a deep breath to try and suppress the pain when he felt Gabriel's hand rest on the place of his injury. Suddenly, the pain was removed as some of Gabriel's grace was transferred into Sam. "Better?" the archangel asked.

"Thanks," Sam smiled, flexing his foot to see if he had been fully healed. Smiling grimly, Gabriel stood up.

"I think I'll just go now – before I cause any more damage." He flew off before Sam could object.

_Day 3 – Be a Valentino just for you_

"Rise 'n' shine, Sammy!" Gabriel shouted, barging into Sam's room. Sam sat bolt upright, knife at the ready. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was only Gabriel. Only Gabriel wasn't alone. "I believe you two have met before," Gabriel said, nodding at Sam and the person behind him. No, not person; Cupid.

The fat, naked cherub surged forwards and, despite Sam's rather noticeable protests, enveloped the taller man in a rib-crushing hug.

"H-hey," Sam stuttered, struggling for air.

"So, what do you think?" Gabriel asked, looking rather satisfied with himself.

"I'm not gonna lie – I'm a bit uncomfortable right now," Sam choked, still wrapped in Cupid's strong embrace.

"You don't like it?" Gabriel asked, face falling until he looked like an injured puppy, amber eyes losing some of their sparkle.

"No, no – I never said that," Sam started as Cupid pulled away.

"This one isn't really a lover," Cupid said, pouting. Gabriel's eyes narrowed.

"Apparently not," he agreed quietly, snapping his fingers so that Cupid disappeared.

"Gabriel, you know I –" Sam began, but Gabriel had already gone. "For God's sake!" Sam grumbled. He loved Gabriel, he really did, but his over-sensitivity was beginning to irk him a little. Still, there was always tomorrow.

_Day 4 – Write my letter, feel much better_

Sam wasn't wrong. Gabriel didn't actually show his face the next day, but he did leave a little gift. Sam smiled as he opened the door and found a vase full of roses with a note attached. He reached down for the vase, carrying it into the kitchen whilst admiring the beautiful, velvety red flowers. Stroking them absently, Sam picked out the note and began to read.

He'd barely got to the end of the third sentence when he noticed the red blotches on his arm. His nose started burning and his breathing became a laboured wheeze as he searched around for a tissue. He was just about to start panicking when a flutter of wings indicated Gabriel's arrival.

"Sammy?" the archangel said tentatively. "Tell me you're okay and that I haven't messed up again." Sam turned round, eyes watering as a coughing fit overtook his ability to speak. "Of course you're allergic to roses," Gabriel snapped, his annoyance and frustration almost overruling his concern and care for Sam. The archangel snapped his fingers so that the room was rose-free before walking over to Sam and pressing his lips to his lover's forehead, instantly healing him from all of his allergy symptoms.

"Thanks," Sam began, but Gabriel shook him off with a slight huff.

"Tomorrow," Gabriel promised. Sam opened his mouth to argue, but Gabriel had already left, leaving Sam to simply growl in frustration.

_Day 5 – Use my fancy patter on the telephone_

Gabriel's fingers pattered across the telephone's buttons, dialling Sam's number. He grinned to himself, looking a lot like the cat who got the cream as the phone rang.

"Oh, Sammy," Gabriel crooned down the phone once it had been picked up, "I hope you're as hot for me as I am for you. Tell me –"

"Gabriel?" the voice at the other end shouted. Shit, Gabriel thought. That's not Sam. "Gabriel, I swear to God that if I ever find you, you son of a bitch, that I will tear you limb from limb and if you ever try seducing my little brother again then I will personally rip off your over-active dick and ram it down –" Gabriel hung up on Dan's rant, sighing.

There was always tomorrow, he thought – though after 5 disasters, it was becoming increasingly hard to convince himself that his efforts would be worth it.

_Day 6 – Dining at the Ritz_

Sam wasn't even surprised when Gabriel appeared in front of his bedroom door, a Red Vine held between his teeth.

"A Red Vine? Really?" Sam chuckled fondly.

"You're apparently allergic to roses," Gabriel said impassively, taking a bite out of the treat.

"Sorry about that," Sam said sheepishly.

"Don't apologise," Gabriel said fiercely, glaring at Sam. His gaze softened immediately as he saw his lover flinch slightly. "I came with an invitation," he continued.

"Gabriel?" Sam said hesitantly.

"We will be dining at the Ritz tonight at 9 o'clock precisely," Gabriel ignored Sam completely.

"Gabe?"

"I'll take the bill, you choose the wine and –"

"Gabriel!" Sam almost shouted, silencing the smaller man.

"Sam?" Gabriel responded.

"Gabriel, don't fly away now, just hear me out," Sam began. "I appreciate what you're doing here, I mean God knows you tried, but I don't want any of this."

"You... you don't want this?" Gabriel repeated, eyebrows knotting together.

"Nope," Sam said, smiling now.

"But it's Valentine's Day! I mean what do you want?" Gabriel asked, slightly exasperated.

"It's a three-letter word and it's right in front of me," Sam said, grinning. Gabriel blinked and took a second to process before he grinned back.

"But I thought –" Sam shook him off, instead walking over to the archangel to wrap his arms around the smaller man who reluctantly gave in and fell limp in Sam's arms.

"Whilst the grand, romantic gestures were sweet and incredibly thoughtful, when you love someone as much as I love you, you really don't need any of that," Sam said, stroking Gabriel's cheek with his thumb. Gabriel sighed. "You know what I'd really like for tomorrow?" Sam continued. Gabriel looked up.

_Valentine's Day_

February the fourteenth found Sam lying on the sofa with Gabriel curled up against his side. The TV was on in front of them though neither of them were paying it much attention; they were far too wrapped up in each other.

Gabriel leaned up to kiss Sam for what felt like the thousandth time that day when the door to the motel room opened and in came Dean followed by Castiel.

"Gabriel?" Dean growled.

"Hello brother," Castiel said, seemingly indifferent.

"Hey guys," Gabriel said sheepishly, moving slightly so that Sam could sit up and pull Gabriel onto his lap. Castiel and Dean occupied the seat next to the couple, Dean kicking off his boots as he rested his feet on the coffee table, making sure to glare at Gabriel as he did so. Gabriel glanced at Sam nervously who responded with a roll of his eyes.

"What crap are we watching?" Dean demanded, frowning at the small motel room screen.

"Some sappy romance," Gabriel responded, snuggling closer to Sam to try and recapture their earlier closeness. Dean grumbled about the choice of channel but didn't bother turning it over, claiming that "it's Valentine's Day so every channel will have some sort of chick flick on".

The four on the sofa settled down into silence, Gabriel nestling into Sam's chest, humming contentedly. Sam couldn't help but notice Dean's arm snaking round the back of the couch as Castiel shuffled closer and the two awkwardly tried to cuddle without Sam and Gabriel seeing. Sam smiled and turned back to Gabriel, kissing the top of his head and wishing to be nowhere else but here.


	4. I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing - Aerosmith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lying close to you feeling your heart beating  
> And I'm wondering what you're dreaming,  
> Wondering if it's me you're seeing  
> Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together  
> And I just wanna stay with you  
> In this moment forever, forever and ever

Sam was asleep with Gabriel in his customary position of being curled up to his side, the archangel's head resting on Sam's chest. Sam had dozed off about an hour ago and Gabriel had been gazing at him fondly ever since. He loved seeing the worried wrinkle between Sam's brows smooth itself out, his head and hands warm, sending a waft of his scent over to Gabriel on the other side of the bed.

The first time Gabriel had realised that he was in love with Sam Winchester was several nights after they had started sharing a bed. Sam always had cold feet. Freezing cold toes that he would push against Gabriel's calves so that they'd warm up – only they never did; they'd simply make Gabriel's legs cold too. However much this annoyed Gabriel, he never said anything. Sam's cold feet would remind him in the middle of the night just who was lying next to him and it was something so secret, so intimate that it made Gabriel grin.

The archangel snuggled in closer to Sam's side, watching the taller man's expressions alter slightly in his sleep. Sam and sleep had never fully gone hand in hand and Gabriel's brother Lucifer certainly didn't help with that particular relationship. However, things had been getting better and it had been weeks since Sam had woken up after having had a nightmare. A smile played at Sam's lips and Gabriel secretly hoped that it was him that Sam was seeing and dreaming about, the sheer thought causing Gabriel to grin before leaning over Sam to kiss both of his eyelids in turn.

He nestled back down to Sam's chest, feeling the dull thuds of his heart, the sheer closeness of him being yet another thing that made Gabriel grin. He could stay by Sam's side for a thousand years, being completely lost in the moment, even if it was just to hear him breathing. The archangel was well and truly trapped in the sweet surrender of his love for the other man, realising slowly that he only felt like he was actually worth something when he was with Sam. He didn't want to miss a single moment – not a single smile or a single kiss.

No number of thoughts of Sam that Gabriel carried with him when the two were apart could ever compare to the passion, the understanding and the love he felt when being in the human's presence. It was something that the archangel had never really envisaged being his future, but certainly something that he would never want to change.


	5. Mix Tape - Avenue  Q

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the songs mentioned on the tape are taken from the song.

Sam sat in the dingy motel room reflecting on what had just happened. As it turned out the 'Trickster' they had been hunting for several years and that, for some reason, kept coming back to life was in fact the archangel Gabriel. Now that he thought about it, it actually made sense. They should have really figured that he was something else when they found him even though he had been pierced with a stake several times.

And now that Sam knew what he was, he couldn't stop thinking about the man – no, archangel. How he was so desperate for his family to be whole again. The way his eyes had softened slightly when Sam had pleaded for Dean's life back at the Mystery Spot. Even the playful winks and eyebrow wiggles he had shown back at the university a few years back.

Great, he thought, you're falling for an archangel. He went into the bathroom to splash some water on his face as if that would help anything.

"He likes me," he said to himself, looking in the mirror. Then he started to doubt himself. "I think he likes me." The doubt extended further and the cynical voice in Sam's head took over, mocking him. "But does he like me like me – like I like him?" He sighed and left the bathroom, deciding that talking himself wasn't going to solve anything.

But does he like me? Sam thought. He sighed again; glancing over at Dean's sleeping form in the bed next to his when something at the window caught his eye. Those were the unmistakably golden eyes of the very thing Sam had just been thinking about, the thing itself beckoning him outside.

Without a second's thought, Sam grabbed his jacket and silently left the motel room, immediately grabbing Gabriel's arm and dragging him round the side of the building before even daring to speak.

"What are you doing here?" Sam demanded, trying to stifle the slight hint of excitement in his voice. Unfortunately, nothing really got past Gabriel, who winked at Sam.

"I was going through my CD collection a while back and I kept coming across songs I thought you'd like so I made you this tape," Gabriel said all in one breath. Sam blinked.

"Really?" Gabriel nodded. "Wow. Um, thanks I guess," Sam said, blushing. Weren't mix tapes the sort of thing that you gave to someone if you had a crush on them? Maybe the tape he held in his hand was the answer as to whether or not the two could possibly have a relationship! Sam looked at the track listing.

You've Got A Friend

The Theme From Friends

That's What Friends Are For

Shit, thought Sam. He peered over the top of the tape only to find that Gabriel was quietly anticipating a response from Sam. The taller man forced a smile as best as he could whilst inwardly grimacing at the concept of being shoved wholly into the friendship zone. Sam glanced back down when the next few tracks caught his eye.

A Whole New World

Kiss the Girl

My Cherie Amour

He couldn't stop himself from grinning then, and he smiled further when he saw Gabriel subtly celebrating Sam's reaction to his gift. Sam himself was thoroughly convinced that Gabriel was dropping some big hints here when suddenly he saw:

I Am the Walrus

Fat Bottomed Girls

Yellow Submarine

What the hell, Gabriel? Sam thought, not sure whether to laugh or look offended. Instead he opted with continuing to smile politely. He briefly complimented Gabriel on his choice of songs, planning on returning to the motel room to bawl into a pillow or bang his head against a brick wall, but Gabriel swiftly interrupted.

"Have you got to side B yet?" he asked.

"Oh," Sam said, not even realising that there was a side B. "No, not yet."

"It's great – check it out!" the archangel said, his mouth curving into a again.

Stuck On You

Love Me Do

My Heart Will Go On

"You like Titanic?" Sam questioned.

"Uh," Gabriel started, thinking of his seraph pal Balthazar, "It was alright." Sam shook his head but continued down the list.

She's Got A Way

Yesterday

Goodnight Saigon

"That one's from the Russia concert!" Gabriel said proudly.

"Oh!" Sam said, trying to echo the archangel's excitement – though really he was confused as to why a song about the Vietnam War would remind him of Sam. "Great!"

Through The Years

The Theme From Cheers

Moving Right Along

By this point Gabriel had moved very close to Sam and was basically resting his head on Sam's shoulder from behind so as to have a view of the tape in Sam's hand.

"Nice tape," Sam said slightly awkwardly.

"Wait, there's one more!" Gabriel said urgently, pointing at the small piece of plastic in Sam's hands.

I Have To Say "I Love You" In a Song

Sam paused and stared at the tape before slowly looking up at Gabriel to see whether or not he was joking. What he hadn't expected, however, was to look up and see Gabriel's face clouded with a mixture of pride, bashfulness and – if Sam didn't know any better – fear.

"Gabriel, this is so sweet," Sam said, smiling slowly, "I don't think I've ever got such a nice present before."

"Well I'm glad you like it," Gabriel said, letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "But I have to go now! I'm going to make one for Castiel and Balthazar and Dean and everyone!" the archangel said, getting excited.

"Oh," Sam said dejectedly. He had thought that the tape was a special, unique present just for him. And whilst he didn't know who Balthazar was and that Dean wouldn't perhaps appreciate anything from the former trickster and that Cas wouldn't understand the concept of a mix tape, he couldn't help but feel a small twinge of jealousy.

"Say Sammich," Gabriel said suddenly, turning back to Sam, "What are you doing tonight?"

"Cleaning guns," Sam chuckled darkly. Then after registering Gabriel's face, "But we only used two so it shouldn't take long... Why?"

"There's a singer performing at the Round The Clock Café round the corner tonight and I was planning on going to see her... Wanna come with?" It was a pretty lousy lie. Gabriel had had no intentions upon going to see this woman; he had merely seen the poster earlier and needed to come up with something on his feet.

"You mean like... a date?" Sam said, blushing lightly and biting his lip. Gabriel positively beamed.

"Sure, a date," he said, trying to contain his elation by keeping his voice level but failing slightly. "It'll be a blast!"

"I'd love to come," Sam said, returning Gabriel's smile.

"Okay, well I'll see you then!" the archangel nodded curtly, suddenly awkward.

"Okay," Sam said, not sure as to what else he should say.

"Okay," Gabriel repeated, "Um, bye!" he said, starting to walk backwards.

"Bye!" Sam said, giggling. With a grand flutter of wings, Gabriel had disappeared and Sam was left standing alone with the tape still in his hands. He looked at the bit of plastic in his hands and grinned goofily, not caring how insane he looked to passersby.

"He likes me!"


	6. Our Last Summer - ABBA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can still recall our last summer  
>  I still see it all  
> Walks along the Seine, laughing in the rain  
> Our last summer  
> Memories that remain
> 
> We made our way along the river  
> And we sat down in the grass  
> By the Eiffel tower  
> ...  
> But underneath we had a fear of flying  
> Of getting old, a fear of slowly dying  
> We took the chance  
> Like we were dancing our last dance  
> 

“You’ve never seen Paris?” Gabriel exclaimed, leaping off of Sam’s lap and staring at him as if he had grown three heads. Sam shrugged.  
“I guess we just never had time to travel,” he said simply.

“Yeah,” Dean interjected, “Not all of us have been on the planet for a couple of thousand years to see and do what we want whenever it takes our fancy.” Gabriel stuck his tongue out, causing Cas to stifle a small smile and Dean to glare.

“You managed to find time to go to Scotland once, remember?” Gabriel pointed out.

“That was to burn Crowley’s bones,” Sam said, “and it was for Bobby.” 

“You’re such heroes,” Gabriel cooed, ruffling Sam’s hair. “I think it’s about time you did get to see Paris.”

“What, now?” Sam asked.

“Yes, now!” Gabriel replied, his customary grin creeping onto his face. “You don’t seem all that busy – and it is the city of love after all...”

“Well you two have fun,” Dean huffed begrudgingly, putting his feet up on the coffee table.

“Oh no, Dean-o. You don’t think I’d leave you behind, would you?” Gabriel grinned.

“It’s funny because that’s exactly what I think,” Dean retorted.

“I’m afraid you’re very much mistaken then, chucklehead,” Gabriel’s grin grew as he glanced at Castiel, “Think of it as a double-date.”

“A double... wait, what? You think – Cas? No, I –” Dean spluttered as Castiel’s face fell slightly.

“Don’t be so embarrassed, Dean, you’re upsetting the poor guy. Now come on, let’s go!” Gabriel said, practically jumping with impatience.

“But Gabriel, it’s 3AM,” Sam protested weakly.

“Which means that it’s 10AM in Paris – a great time to start the day! All aboard the archangel express!” Gabriel called, holding out his hands to Sam and Dean.

“You are the limit,” Sam sighed, taking Gabriel’s hand, but he couldn’t help the small grin that crawled onto his face. Dean, however, stayed seated.

“I’m not holding your hand dude,” he said, raising his eyebrows.

“Fine,” Gabriel huffed, “Grab Cas instead.”

“Oh no,” Dean said, standing up. “I am not cool with the angel express.” Gabriel let go of Sam for a second to put his hands on his hips.

“Okay then,” he said, pouting, “We’ll board a plane instead, shall we?” At these words, Dean visibly paled and quickly grabbed Castiel.

“Let’s go!” Gabriel cried happily, and with a flutter of wings and some mild human discomfort they were suddenly under the Eiffel Tower.

*

“Man, this pie is the best!” Dean exclaimed, tucking into his third slice. Gabriel grinned lazily, happy to have finally met Dean’s approval on something. They were picnicking on the banks of the River Seine after having raided various cafés for morning croissants and other French delicacies that Gabriel had insisted upon them trying. 

“It’s not pie, Dean,” Gabriel corrected again, “it’s tarte tatin – and I’m surprised you haven’t discovered it before.” Dean was too busy inhaling his food to pay much attention, so Gabriel resumed his former position of resting his head on Sam’s lap. Sam himself was sitting with his back against a tree, looking round with a sense of naive wonder as he drank in the sights, sounds and smells of the French capital. He chuckled to himself as he looked over to see Castiel sat cross legged, watching Dean eat his tart with his mouth hanging slightly open.

“Son of a bitch,” Dean sighed happily, polishing off the slice. “I am stuffed,” he said, slapping his stomach. “But don’t you dare throw away that pie,” he warned, pointing at Sam who had picked up the remains, “Save it for later.” 

“What is next on the agenda?” Sam asked Gabriel mildly. The archangel sat up and stretched suddenly.

“What to do first...” he grinned.

Gabriel’s whistle-stop tour of Paris was undoubtedly the most fun Sam, Cas and even Dean had had in a long time – if not, ever. The usual tourist attractions were Gabriel’s first port of call as they flew from the top most point of the Eiffel Tower down to the aged Notre Dame. They even took a leisurely walk down the River Seine, Dean ending up in the water after having suggested going to a place called the Clown Bar to Sam. They were all content to push aside their worries for the day, their usual troubles appearing non-existent as they all avoided the obvious fact that they were only living for the day because they were never entirely sure how many they had left to live for.

“Where to now?” Sam asked breathlessly, recovering from his intense fit of laughter as Castiel tenderly dried Dean off, picking bits of river debris from the man’s hair.

“I know a little place,” Gabriel grinned devilishly before grabbing hold of Sam and indicating that Dean and Cas should follow suit.

“I’ll probably regret this,” Dean grumbled, but he begrudgingly took the archangel’s outstretched palm. Cas barely had a second to adjust himself before an almighty flutter of wings landed them on a bridge.

“What the hell, Gabriel?” Dean growled, looking round. Every inch of the grating of the bridge was covered in padlocks with letters written on them.

“Pretty impressive, eh?” Gabriel smirked, looking incredibly smug. Sam stepped towards the padlocks and examined them carefully, eyebrows knitted together.

“What are they?” he asked, turning back round to Gabriel.

“Jeez, kiddo I thought you were meant to be smart,” he snorted. “They’re padlocks.”

“We can see that, asshat,” Dean snapped, not having moved from where he had landed.

“They have initials of couples on them,” Cas said, smiling softly as he examined a padlock that had the initials C and B in a heart. “I believe the padlock symbolises being permanently locked to your partner.” 

“Got it in one, bro,” Gabriel winked, nodding towards a couple who had just locked their padlock and were now throwing the key into the river that ran below the bridge.

“Man,” Dean said gruffly, trying to suppress his inner woman. “Sounds like it came straight from a chick flick.” Gabriel rolled his eyes and turned around to face Sam properly before producing a padlock and a permanent marker out of nowhere.

“Shall we?” he asked, holding the pen out to Sam who took it with a bashful grin. He wrote “S & G” on the padlock carefully before taking Gabriel’s hand in his own and finding an appropriate spot on the bridge to lock it to.

Dean made a noise that was somewhere between a snort and a growl as Castiel stood dejectedly by his side. Although he loved Dean immeasurably, there were times when he wished that the hunter would be a bit less proud and a bit sappier like Gabriel. 

“Cas?” Dean asked softly, sensing the angel’s dissatisfaction. “You okay there?” Castiel curled his lip and smiled slightly.

“I am well, Dean.” He said firmly. Dean narrowed his eyes.

“Are you lying to me, Cas?” he asked. 

“No,” Cas mumbled, looking at his feet.

“Hey,” Dean said gently, cupping Castiel’s jaw in his hands. “What’s the matter?” Castiel still refused to make eye contact, instead looking round at the various couples locking their padlocks to the bridge until his eyes fell upon Sam and Gabriel who were throwing their key into the river. The couple then looked at each other, grinning momentarily before enveloping each other in a tight embrace. Cas smiled.

“They look happy.” He said, still smiling. Dean followed Castiel’s gaze to find Sam gently kissing Gabriel square on the lips. Suddenly it clicked.

“Oh,” he said quietly, “Say Cas – do you want to…?”

“I would not wish to do something if you think that it is only worthy of a chick flick, Dean.” Cas said, a twinge of hurt coming through in his voice. 

“Hey, hey,” Dean said hurriedly, “I didn’t mean it like that. If it’s important to you, then it’s important to me, you got that?” Castiel smiled, finally looking up at Dean.

“Then I would very much like to leave a padlock of our own here,” he said shyly, producing one from thin air. 

“May I do the honours?” Dean asked, eyeing the marker that had just appeared in Castiel’s hand.

“Of course,” Cas breathed, stepping into Dean’s side as the hunter put an arm round his angel’s shoulder, carefully writing their initials on the padlock.

“That okay?” Dean asked, kissing Castiel’s cheek.

“Perfect,” Cas practically purred before moving forwards to find a spot on the bridge.

“Look,” Sam said softly, spotting Cas and Dean over Gabriel’s shoulder. The archangel turned round to see the couple positioning their padlock on the bridge. 

“Straight from a chick flick,” Gabriel chuckled softly, leaning back against Sam’s chest as the taller man’s arms wrapped round his waist from behind.

“Your bitch got anywhere else planned, Sammy?” Dean asked, happily strolling over with his arm slung round a rather bashful-looking Cas. Gabriel glared at Dean which was met with a wink from the hunter.

“As a matter of fact, I have.” Gabriel said, ever-dignified. “Grab hold. You’ll like this one.”

Yet another swoop of wings found the group on some stone steps. Though Gabriel was the only one that could actually see this. Blink as they might, Sam, Dean and Castiel all found themselves completely unable to see.

“Gabe?” Sam called out, struggling to keep his voice calm. “I think I’m blind.”

“Funny you should say that, Sammy,” Dean all but growled. “Because I can’t see a damn thing either.”

“It appears that I have also lost my vision...” Castiel offered.

“I know,” Gabriel said hastily. “Now just turn this way,” he said, pushing Sam slightly to adjust his position. 

“I swear to God, Gabriel...” Dean began, but the archangel ignored him. Once Sam, Dean and Castiel were facing the right way and Gabriel seemed satisfied, he snapped his fingers and the three had their vision returned to them immediately.

“Ta-dah!” Gabriel said in a small voice. Dean growled, ready to turn round and smack Gabriel square in the jaw when the sight of the near-entire Parisian skyline beneath his feet stopped him in his tracks and his mouth dropped open. Castiel smiled a small, knowing smile.

“A very good choice of location,” he murmured, looking out at the view. Sam was looking round hungrily, as if unsure what sight he should eat in first. Instead he turned slowly to face Gabriel, shaking his head in disbelief, words escaping him.

“Best spot in Paris – absolutely free,” Gabriel said softly, smiling at the awe and marvel that practically radiated from Sam. Sam laughed shakily before kissing Gabriel into breathlessness and enfolding him in his arms tightly. Pulling away slightly, Sam’s eyebrows knitted together as he caught sight of what was over Gabriel’s shoulder.

“Dean,” he called.

“Just a second, Sammy,” Dean replied, still unable to look away from the sight of Paris at his feet, the city lit up by the soft and warm setting sun.

“You’ve got to see this,” Sam urged. Dean turned around and his eyes grew impossibly wider. 

“Is that...” he started.

“The Sacré-Coeur, boys,” Gabriel grinned, looking all together a bit too self satisfied. As Sam and Dean suddenly raced to get inside, Castiel stepped forwards to join Gabriel’s side silently.

“This was a good idea.” He said simply.

“I thought so myself,” Gabriel replied contentedly, watching the brothers battle their way up the stone steps.

“How many people do you think are praying in there?” Castiel asked.

“There’s someone praying 24/7 there,” Gabriel said, smiling at the thought. “No wonder Dad’s always so busy...” Castiel frowned and examined his brother, his customary head tilt in place as he knew that the subject of their absent father wasn’t a subject Gabriel beached often. “It’s okay, Cas.”Gabriel said quietly, chuckling as he felt the younger angel’s intense blue-eyed stare linger upon him.

The two angels silently agreed to let Sam and Dean have some time together in the church, having seen it enough times throughout their own lives – Gabriel himself being present for the building’s construction. So the pair sat on the building’s steps, thinking happily of their respective hunters and not noticing the summer storm that was brewing overhead.

Sam and Dean soon returned, overflowing with excitement and new knowledge so that neither angel could get a word in edgeways. Gabriel simply smiled fondly at Sam, only half listening to him describe a giant painting of Jesus. He was cut off abruptly when an almighty rumble sounded above them. Tilting their heads to the sky, it started to rain.  
The rain was far from light. It was a Summer storm – the sort that made the humid, sticky air crackle with electricity as the lukewarm water pelted down with reckless abandon. It wasn’t refreshing and it wasn’t soft, but the Winchesters and their angels didn’t run for shelter.

It being evening combined with the sudden relentless downpour meant that the streets of Paris were almost empty. Sam, however, had no desire to return to the USA or even to go indoors somewhere for the rain to him was liberating and refreshing. Gabriel couldn’t help but laugh as he watched the overgrown moose of a man skip lightly down the street, arms and hands outstretched as they caught raindrops, clothes darkening with moisture.

“Sammy, you’ll catch a cold!” Dean shouted down the street, though he knew for a fact that Gabriel wouldn’t let that happen. Pulling his hand free of Castiel’s grip, Dean ran down the street towards his little brother and jumped of the kerb into a puddle, soaking the younger man further with the splash. This caused Sam to chase Dean down the street, threatening to tear him limb from limb – though the threat was received with a stuck-out-tongue as it was delivered with such breathlessness caused by intense laughter.  
Sam stopped for a moment and bent over, hands on his knees, when he looked back to where Gabriel and Cas were walking, watching the Winchesters with unmistakable fondness marking the angels’ faces. Sam allowed them to catch up before he whisked Gabriel into an embrace, ignoring Dean’s cry of “dude, come on!” and seemingly oblivious to the city that lay around them.

“Thank you,” Sam said simply, hoping to pour into the simple phrase just how grateful he was for the day. Because really it wasn’t about never having seen Paris; it was about Sam and Dean being able to shrug off the weight of responsibility that constantly sat upon their shoulders. It was about them having as close to a normal life as possible – given the circumstances – and there was a melancholy twinge of being able to dance their last dance whilst it still lasted. 

Gabriel, being an archangel and having his grace somehow eternally bonded to Sam’s soul, of course sensed this and poured out all of his own gratitude towards Sam as well as his understanding and love in the most tender kiss that the lovers had shared. 

Pulling away, Sam hadn’t even realised that he was out of breath until his head started spinning, but he stood facing Gabriel still giggling and grinning lazily. 

“I think it’s time to go back,” Gabriel said softly. Sam nodded and the archangel turned to Dean and Castiel who had been watching with identical smiles on their face – one of pride and happiness for their brothers – and they nodded, grabbing hold of Gabriel before being whisked back to the dingy motel room in America, all four of them suddenly bone-dry.

“Boy, it really takes it out of you,” Dean said, trying and failing to stifle a huge yawn whilst he stretched.

“You’re telling me,” Sam said, yawning himself. The brothers silently but contentedly got ready for bed and were sound asleep within minutes, their respective angels curled up loyally by their sides.


	7. Spread Your Wings - Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sammy was low  
>  Just watching the show  
> Over and over again  
> Knew it was time  
> He’d made up his mind  
> To leave his dead life behind  
> 

Sam sat in the centre of the bed, his laptop being the only source of light in the otherwise empty motel room. He had watched the DVD of Gabriel on a loop for the past hour – something he had done the night before and the night before that. Gabriel – the archangel that had been killed by his brother. The archangel that Sam also happened to be in love with.

He didn’t cry; he was past that. Instead Sam sat numbly, a dull ache in his gut that wrenched and twisted every time Gabriel turned to the scantily clad woman beside him for a good old game of tonsil tennis. The door to the motel room suddenly opened and the lights flickered on as Dean’s shadow filled up the rectangle of light from the doorway.  
"Sammy?" his brother said quietly. Sam ignored him, still staring at the small screen in front of him. He barely registered the bed dipping as Dean perched next to him, the DVD being enough to keep his insides in the form of an icy mush. Dean was checking Sam all over for any sort of injury when he spotted the DVD case and instantaneously understood.  
It had taken Dean a long time to warm to the archangel. After their first meeting, both Sam and Dean agreed that he was nothing more than a slightly psychotic best – practically harmless when compared to some of the other stuff they’d been up against.

It wasn’t until their brief stint in TV land that Dean noticed that whilst his own annoyance towards the Trickster grew, Sam’s relationship with him had gone down a different path entirely. It was the stolen glances that Sam flashed whilst he thought nobody was looking and the bitch-face he reserved only for when he was embarrassed whenever Gabriel mock-flirted him.

Dean’s initial reaction of course had been incredulity and slight anger. He forcibly reminded Sam of the one hundred and something deaths Gabriel had put him through, causing Sam to wince briefly, but not to back down.

Then Gabriel had made the ultimate sacrifice. Up until a few days ago, Dean honestly thought that the archangel would never change and would never pull through for them, but he had been happily corrected. Only the archangel had happened to leave Sam behind as nothing more than a broken shell of a man – and Dean had to pick up the pieces.  
"Sammy, throw that thing away," Dean said softly, knowing in the back of his head that he should have done so himself as soon as they’d finished watching it. If it had been Cas in front of Lucifer he couldn’t imagine the depths of the pain he’d be experiencing. Sam simply stared at Dean with no real expression.

"I’m saying yes to Lucifer," he said quietly. Dean took a sharp intake of breath.

 

"Sammy, I don’t think –" Dean began, but was interrupted.

"Well until you give me another option, Dean, I really don’t see what else we can do!" Sam said fiercely. “How many more of our friends – our family – does he have to kill before… before –" Dean pulled Sam into a hug, slapping his back as he did so.

"I know Sammy," he murmured. “But you can’t. You’re my little brother and I can’t let that son of a bitch possess you – true vessel or not. Come on, man, pull yourself together." Sam pulled away.

"This could be my last chance," he said quietly, “I mean I started the whole thing, so why shouldn’t I end it?"

"Sam, you’re a free man!" Dean’s voice rose steadily, though it was out of panic and not anger. “You aren’t ruled by this destiny crap!”

"I’ve made up my mind, Dean." Sam said firmly, suddenly very solemn. “I’ve got to do this." Dean sighed as Sam clambered off of the bed and locked himself in the bathroom, the sound of the shower filling the otherwise silent motel room.

Eyes flicking down to the computer screen, Dean just caught Gabriel winking and pulling off his ridiculous fake moustache before collapsing onto the bed with the mystery woman. The older Winchester chuckled and ejected the disc from the machine, pressing it gently back in its case before padding to the bin in the kitchen and dropping it in.

"See you later, bud," he whispered, smiling. He walked back into the bedroom, unaware of a pair of amber eyes watching him through the window.

"Believe me Dean-o," Gabriel murmured, “you will."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Softly you whisper  
>  You’re so sincere  
> How could our love be so blind?  
> We sailed on together  
> We drifted apart  
> And here you are  
> By my side  
> So now I come to you  
> With open arms  
> Nothing to hide  
> Believe what I say  
> 

"I’m so sorry," Sam whispered, voice cracking as he struggled to get the words out. He didn’t quite know where to begin considering what he had done. Whether he should apologise for starting the apocalypse, being possessed by Satan and ending the apocalypse or living without a soul for a year without so much as a scrap of thought for his former lover was beyond him. Gabriel, however, simply opened his arms.

"It’s okay," he offered, smiling gently. Sam’s feet carried him towards the archangel and he found himself enveloped in sudden tender warmth and love that he hadn’t realised that he’d missed as Gabriel’s grace flowed into him.

"How are you…?"

"Alive?" Gabriel finished Sam’s sentence for him. "I should be asking you the same thing! This time last year you were jumping into a bit, dragging two of my brothers with you." Sam frowned.

"Sorry about that," he said sheepishly, his brows furrowing. Gabriel laughed, a sound Sam was sorry to have overlooked over the past year.

"I’m just sorry you couldn’t have taken Raphi with you too," Gabriel chuckled. Sam knew that it was an outright lie and that Gabriel was in an immense amount of pain at having to have lost two of his brothers, but he also saw the need for it to have happened, pain or no pain. Plus he was instinctively trying to make Sam feel less dreadful about it.

"I can’t –" Sam began, failing to put into words how immeasurably sorry he really was. 

"Hey, I’m here, aren’t I?" Gabriel asked, pulling Sam closer again. "I’m always here, Sammy. No matter what."

"It was so cold -" Sam stuttered, but his voice betrayed him as it cracked and fresh tears gathered in his eyes. He breathed in the warm, sweet scent of his Gabriel’s hair as his mind reflected on the weeks immediately after Gabriel’s death. No matter how warm he was physically, the gaping hole that Gabriel had left in his life had left him feeling so cold with a dull, throbbing ache in his gut. Sam tried speaking again. "I wanted to hold you – wanted you near and sometimes I’d dream that you were there but then wake up with my arms empty and I –" Gabriel silenced Sam quickly with a kiss.

It was a kiss of need, a kiss of rediscovery and hesitance as the lovers strived for their former existence. It was found and Sam finally felt at peace and at home. He momentarily forgot about his time in hell and how Lucifer and Michael had essentially skinned his soul alive, leaving it battered and weak, for everything he needed for that moment was found in Gabriel.

"You’re real," Sam breathed as he pulled away. Gabriel chuckled again.

"You don’t say," he crooned softly.

"I’m sorry," Sam began again, but Gabriel rolled his eyes.

"Sammy, look –" the archangel spoke.

"No, you don’t understand," Sam interrupted, "I have a problem," he continued, "I love you. And when I stop talking I’m going to hug you and kiss you again. And now that you’ve kissed me I’m afraid I won’t be able to ever let you go again." Gabriel’s grin grew as Sam spoke, and he captured the taller man’s lips in his own once more.

"I think I can live with that," he murmured, "Dork."


	9. I'm Happy Just to Dance With You - The Beatles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’ve noticed that several of my tales include a bit of grooving so I decided to do something completely different when this song showed up by setting it in dreadelion’s high school AU – which you can track on tumblr in the ‘that one spn high school au’ tag – instead.
> 
> I’d recommend perhaps looking through the tag a bit so that you understand what the characters are like in the AU, particularly Gabriel in his funky outfit. Um, so yeah… enjoy I guess!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If somebody tries to take my place  
>  Let’s pretend we just can’t see his face  
> In this world there’s nothing I would rather do  
> 'cause I'm happy just to dance with you  
> 

Gabriel was fuming – although he had noticed that over the past few months this was no new thing. He tried to love his brothers, he really did, but more often than not they’d just burn him up and treat him like trash. Of course with Castiel it was a whole other story, but Lucifer, Michael and Raphael? They could go to hell for all Gabriel cared.  
Tonight was supposed to be the night of his life and after spending 5 minutes in a room with three of his brothers it was ruined. He stomped back up the stairs, ignoring the eye-roll he received from his younger sister Anna as he held back tears and slammed the door to his bedroom.

"Was that Gabriel?" Castiel asked, sticking his head out of his bedroom door and looking down the stairs at Anna.

"What do you think?” Anna snapped, continuing down the stairs. Castiel frowned. His siblings were often impatient when it came to Gabriel. They didn’t seem to understand that whilst Gabriel’s tantrums often came across as whinging and melodrama, he really did get down easily and simply felt things extremely intensely when compared to others, often giving the illusion that his mood swings like hell.

But Castiel had always possessed a deeper understanding of his older brother and would often find himself comforting his sibling – not even necessarily through words, but just by being there for him.

"Gabriel?" he called out hesitantly, pushing open his brother’s bedroom door whilst making sure that his shoes were off. Gabriel insisted that only socks and bare feet should be allowed in his room, but really Castiel reckoned it was just another way to keep the others out of his personal space.

"What do you want?" Gabriel snapped, his voice muffled and thick.

"You know that we’re leaving in 15 minutes, right?" Castiel asked, deciding not to face the issue head-on.

"I don’t think I want to go," Gabriel mumbled. He was sat on the corner of his bed, his knees pulled up to his chest with his head resting on them, eyes red and puffy as he looked sorrowfully at his brother.

"Gabriel, what happened?" Cas asked in a small voice, moving into the room to sit on the edge of Gabriel’s bed.

"I just don’t want to go," Gabriel said stubbornly.

"What did they say to you?" Gabriel looked up at his brother. He had a habit of always knowing what had upset Gabriel, and he was no less wrong this time.

"They were just saying stuff about my outfit," Gabriel muttered, shifting his position so that he was cross legged and staring into his own lap. It wasn’t anything new, Michael, Lucifer and Raphael making fun of Gabriel’s rather eccentric fashion choices, but on the night of the senior dance it was more than their usual lack of tact. "They said I was letting Dad down," Gabriel continued, his voice shaking slightly, "with my apparent ‘gender issues’." He said the last part in a mimicking voice that sounded suspiciously like Raphael. 

Castiel’s frown deepened.

"Why do you listen to them?" he asked simply. "They’re no more right today than they are on most days when they criticise the way you look, so why pay them any more attention?" Gabriel opened and closed his mouth several times.

"I worked hard on this look," he said finally, picking at his vibrant green harem pants. He was wearing a matching green tailcoat along with a burgundy waistcoat, a white shirt and a black bowtie and whilst the look wouldn’t work at all for most, something about the fact that it was Gabriel wearing it made it work.

"And you look perfect," Castiel said firmly, "just as you do in every skirt, dress, tie dye shirt, pair of legwarmers and pair of harem pants." Gabriel chuckled weakly, bringing up a hand to wipe the moisture off his face. "The nail polish was a nice touch," he added, extending a hand out to Gabriel so that he could have a better look. Gabriel placed his hand in his brother’s, ducking his head slightly as Cas smiled at the vibrant pink that coated Gabriel’s nailed. "Perfect," he murmured again.

"Thanks," Gabriel whispered, still obviously slightly hesitant about going to the dance.

"I’m certain Sam will think you look perfect too," Cas coaxed gently. If there was any way to get Gabriel to believe something, it would be to get it to come out of Sam’s mouth. At these words, Gabriel perked up considerably, shuffling off the bed and picking up his burgundy shoes from the floor.

"You look gorgeous too for the record," Gabriel smiled, slowly coming back to his usual self. He wasn’t lying. Cas had gone for the more traditional dusty silver suit with a blue waistcoat, making his devastating eyes stick out and glitter more than usual. He smiled and mumbled some thanks before following his eccentric brother out the front door.

"Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you?" Michael asked Castiel sternly as he and Gabriel stood by the front door.

"That’s quite alright," Castiel said quite sharply, glaring at Michael with a piercing gaze.

"I wouldn’t want to be seen dead with a fag in the car," Lucifer said absently, causing Raphael to laugh and Gabriel to shrink into himself slightly.

"It is true that your reputation may be… tainted should you continue to associate yourself with Gabriel in such a way." Michael said, unable to stop the smirk from creeping onto his face. Apparently this is what did it for Cas.

"I will associate myself with whoever I please," he said in a cold, sharp voice, "And for the record I would choose Gabriel over all of you put together any day of the week." He wheeled around, grabbed Gabriel by the wrist and pulled his brother out of the house – but not before Gabriel could stick his tongue out at Michael.

"Thank you," Gabriel said, grinning uncontrollably.

"It actually felt quite pleasurable," Castiel said mildly, looking quite impressed with himself as he climbed into the passenger seat of Gabriel’s vibrant vintage Beetle. They had arranged to meet their respective dates outside of the school building so that they could enter together in Dean’s precious Chevrolet Impala, an argument that had lasted about 2 minutes before it was agreed.

"You look fine," Gabriel said as he caught Cas nervously brushing the arm of his suit out of the corner of his eye. Castiel nodded, still slightly nervous, and the rest of the drive was spent in silence. Gabriel finally pulled up on the street adjacent to the school when he spotted the Impala, two dark figures standing next to it in the evening shadow. The two brothers leapt out of the car, slamming the doors at the same time before rushing forwards to greet their respective boyfriends.

Gabriel stopped dead in his tracks as he took in what Sam was wearing. It was essentially the reverse of his own outfit: burgundy jacket and trousers with a vibrant green waistcoat, white shirt and black bowtie only with the slight addition of that grin Sam sometimes wore that made Gabriel’s insides go a bit gooey.

"Hey," Sam said, not even blinking at Gabriel’s bizarre apparel. "Cas and Dean are matching, so I thought we should too." Sure enough, Dean was kitted out in a blue suit with a silver waistcoat just as Cas was with his silver suit and blue waistcoat. Gabriel smiled uncontrollably, suddenly rushing forwards to throw himself at Sam, yanking him into a tight embrace before leaning up to kiss his jaw line repeatedly as this was as high as Gabriel could reach without Sam himself bending down considerably.

"Hey, save it for later," Dean barked, but he was grinning at the couple as he stood holding hands with Castiel. "Are we ready?" he asked around and everyone nodded. "Let’s do this!" The four clambered into the Impala, ready to pull through the school gates to make a grand entrance as was the custom.

Of course most people arrived in ghastly pink limousines and flashy expensive soft tops, but Sam, Dean, Cas and Gabriel had all quickly agreed that they wanted something a bit more personal – something that actually meant something to them. And the Impala filled that criteria perfectly.

"You look simply stunning," Sam murmured, kissing the top of Gabriel’s head as the couple cuddled in the back seat.

"You think so?" Gabriel asked hesitantly. Sam nodded instantly.

"Anyone there tonight who doesn’t want to dance with you is simply mad." He breathed.

"I’m happy just to dance with you," Gabriel said, nuzzling into Sam’s chest. "If anyone tries to take your place then I shall just pretend not to see them because I wouldn’t want to trade you for the world." Sam grinned his special grin that he reserved only for Gabriel as the Impala pulled up to the school’s entrance.


End file.
